NFC (Near Field Communication) is a contactless identification and interconnection technology, which allows users to intuitively exchange information and access content and services among mobile devices, consumer electronics, personal computers, or intelligent electronic devices by methods of near magnetic field communication, such as using 13.56 MHz of near magnetic field communication.
Since the market demand for integrated NFC in handheld devices such as mobile phones is mature, NFC supports mobile payment or can act as a point-of-sale (POS) system. However, since NFC is based on magnetic fields to transmit and receive signals, it is necessary to install inductive card reader or some elements with a similar function to handheld devices or mobile phones, which causes the handheld devices to become bigger and is a limitation to the structured layout and component material of the mobile phones and other handheld devices.
Therefore, there is a recently developed touch communications technology for a touch-panel device, such as that recited in patent applications US 2011/0304583, US 2013/0147760, and CN 102916729A, which communicates by the original panel and the original driver IC of the touch-panel device. The touch-panel device includes a touch sensor. At least a portion of the touch sensor is at least a portion of the touch panel included in the touch-panel device. The touch panel could be a touch panel without a display function (e.g. a touch pad) or a touch panel with a display function (e.g. a touch screen). The touch sensor includes a plurality of driving electrodes and a plurality of sensing electrodes which constitute capacitive structures on a substrate. At least one of the driving electrode and the sensing electrode can act as a transmitting electrode, and at least one of the driving electrode and the sensing electrode can act as a receiving electrode. Therefore, the signals can be transmitted and received by the original electrode and the original driving IC of the touch-panel device, to realize touch communications based on electric fields without an inductive card reader or components with a similar function being incorporated. It saves volume and cost than the previous near field communication technology.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating touch communications between the first touch-panel device and the second touch-panel device in accordance with the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, there are near electric fields 103a and 103b between the first touch-panel device 101 and the second touch-panel device 102. It should be noted that the first touch-panel device 101 and the second touch-panel device 102 are both capable of transmitting and receiving signals. In the touch communications technology, when the first touch-panel device 101 transmits a signal to the second touch-panel device 102, the communication media of the transmission is the electric field whose direction is toward the second touch-panel device 102 (the near electric field 103a shown in FIG. 1). When the second touch-panel device 102 transmits a signal to the first touch-panel device 101, the communication media of the transmission is the electric field whose direction is toward the first touch-panel device 101 (the near electric field 103b shown in FIG. 1). The X channel and Y channel shown in FIG. 1 represent the transmitting electrode and the receiving electrode, respectively, which constitute capacitive structures on the substrate.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the implemented touch communications system between the first touch-panel device and the second panel device in accordance with the prior art. The first touch-panel device 101 includes the signal-transmitting system 201 which is shown in FIG. 2, and the second touch-panel device 102 includes the signal-receiving system 202, which is shown in FIG. 2. The signal-transmitting system 201 includes the touch-communications-request signal generation unit 211, the communications connection establishment unit 212, and the first communications unit 213. The touch-communications-request signal generation unit 211 is used to generate a touch-communications-request signal which is transmitted to the second touch-panel device 102 via the transmitting electrode. After the receiving electrode receives the response signal as a reply from the second touch-panel device 102, the communications connection establishment unit 212 performs actions to establish the communications connection with the second touch-panel device 102. After establishing the communications connection, the first communications unit 213 can transmit information and/or data to the second touch-panel device 102 via the transmitting electrode.
The signal-receiving system 202 includes the touch-communications-request response unit 221, the communications connection establishment unit 222, and the second communications unit 223. After the touch-communications-request response unit 221 receives the touch-communications request signal, which is transmitted by the first touch-panel device 101, via the receiving electrode, a response signal is sent in reply to the first touch-panel device 101 via the transmitting electrode. After the touch-communications-request response unit 221 replies with the response signal to the first touch-panel device 101, the communications connection establishment unit 222 helps establish communications connection with the first touch-panel device 101. After the communications connection is established, the second communications unit 223 can receive information and/or data from the first touch-panel device 101 via the receiving electrode.
As shown in FIG. 3, the first touch panel 301 and the second touch panel 302 further includes a touch sensor (not fully shown in FIG. 3), where the touch sensor includes a plurality of transmitting electrodes 311, 321 and the receiving electrodes 312, 322, which constitute capacitive structures on the substrate and are respectively used to transmit and to receive the signals.
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the touch communications method in accordance with the prior art. First, in Step S401, the touch-communications-request signal generation unit 211 generates a touch-communications-request signal which is transmitted to the second touch-panel device 102 via the transmitting electrode. Then, after the receiving electrode receives the response signal replied by the second touch-panel device 102 (Step S402), the communications connection establishment unit 212 helps establish the communications connection with the second touch-panel device 102 (Step S403). Finally, in Step S404, the first communications unit 213, by the transmitting electrode, can transmit information and/or data to the second touch-panel device 102.
In the prior art, there are several complicated steps involved when setting up a wireless communication connection, such as device discovery, GO negotiation, bonding . . . etc. Therefore, novel electronic devices and methods are required to simplify the set up procedure.